The present invention generally relates to vending machines, for example for dispensing such products as hot dogs, in particular to a device for thermal treatment of sausages for preparation of hot dogs.
Devices for thermal treatment of sausages are generally known. In the known devices of this type, the treatment is performed by application of heat for cooking a sausage. It is believed that these devices can be further improved.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device for treating sausages in a hot dog dispensing machine, which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art and is a further improvement.
In keeping with these objects and with others which will become apparent hereinafter, one feature of present invention resides, briefly stated, in a device for treating sausages in a hot dog dispensing machine, which has a substantially closed chamber for receiving a sausage; means associated with said chamber and operative for providing a microwave radiation directed into an interior of said chamber so as to provide cooking of an interior of said sausage located in said chamber; and means for generating an infrared radiation outside of an area of the microwave radiation generated by said first means so as to supply the infrared radiation into the interior of said chamber onto the sausage located in said chamber and therefore to treat a surface of said sausage to provide an exterior cooked skin of the sausage.
When the device is designed in accordance with the present invention, it provides an optimal, highly efficient, and high quality way of treating sausage to provide a high quality hot dog with a very good taste.
The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the present invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.